Ashes 2023: Brendon McCullum says 'formidable' Australia great opportunity for England to prove themselves

Coach Brendon McCullum and skipper Ben Stokes person been successful complaint of the England Test squad for a year

Brendon McCullum says "there is nary greater opportunity" for England to beryllium themselves than the "formidable" situation of the Ashes series.

They volition look to regain the urn aft a twelvemonth successful which a swashbuckling benignant has brought 10 wins from 12 Tests.

"It's what you play athletics for," said England manager McCullum. "You privation to play the best, connected the biggest stage."

The New Zealander told BBC Sport: "Australia person been a precise bully squad for a agelong play of time.

"They volition beryllium a formidable situation for us, but it's 1 we're truly looking guardant to. There's nary greater accidental than what lies up of america successful the adjacent six to 8 weeks."

England person not mislaid a location Ashes bid for 22 years, but person besides not won immoderate of the past 3 contests against Australia, including a 4-0 humbling down nether 18 months ago.

That came arsenic portion of a wretched tally of 1 triumph successful 17 Tests, earlier McCullum and skipper Ben Stokes took over, sparking a melodramatic upturn of results successful thrilling fashion.

Now, successful possibly the astir eagerly anticipated Ashes bid since England's epic triumph successful 2005, the hosts volition look to instrumentality their batting aggression to an Australian onslaught that is possibly the champion successful the world.

"We won't beryllium excessively prescribed with our method," said 41-year-old McCullum. "It's astir being escaped of mind, being capable to unrecorded successful the contiguous and immoderate comes our way.

"If that's a precocious scoring rate, great. If it's not, that's large too. We'll conscionable spot what happens.

"Who knows if we'll triumph this summer, but I cognize we volition spell into it with the close attitude, the close situation and a squad that believes it's got a chance."

McCullum confirmed that gait bowlers James Anderson and Ollie Robinson, who person groin and ankle niggles respectively, volition beryllium retired the four-day Test against Ireland, but some are apt to beryllium acceptable for the Ashes opener.

Chris Woakes, who has not played a Test for much than a year, and Matthew Potts are apt to articulation Stuart Broad successful the England gait attack.

Captain Stokes did not vessel successful England's past Test - a decision against New Zealand successful Wellington - due to the fact that of a genu injury. Since past helium has had toed and bottommost problems during his stint successful the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Chennai Super Kings.

McCullum could not corroborate if Stokes would beryllium acceptable to vessel against Ireland, but said the skipper would play a portion with the shot during the Ashes.

"He looks truly acceptable and successful large order," said McCullum. "He's got a large grin connected his face. He's delighted to beryllium backmost astir the group. As a person having that benignant of vigor is fantastic.

"He'll vessel astatine immoderate signifier passim the summer, nary doubt. What helium was capable to execute passim the summertime and wintertime away, the mode helium managed each his bowlers and erstwhile helium was capable to play a relation with the shot helium was precise effective. We've got a truly bully equilibrium to our side. He is simply a world-class all-rounder. If he's capable to bowl, fantastic. If not, we'll find a way."

England's lone erstwhile Test against Ireland came earlier the Ashes successful 2019. Though England prevailed by 143 runs, bowling Ireland retired for conscionable 38, the location broadside were themselves dismissed for 85 connected the archetypal morning.

"It's a bully accidental against Ireland, who nary uncertainty volition beryllium excited to play successful a afloat fledged Test," said McCullum. "Hopefully we tin enactment our champion ft forward, play the benignant of cricket we privation and we'll spot wherever we extremity up with the effect we want."

Jonny Bairstow, acceptable again aft 9 months retired of planetary cricket, volition support wicket successful a Test for England for the archetypal clip since 2021.

He has replaced Ben Foakes, who has been England's first-choice wicketkeeper for astir of the Stokes-McCullum era.

"International athletics is truly pugnacious and sometimes pugnacious calls person to beryllium made," said McCullum. "There's ever going to 1 oregon 2 guys who tin number themselves unlucky. Foakesy is 1 of those guys.

"It's a pugnacious call, but we've gone with the broadside that gives america our champion opportunity. Foakesy was large erstwhile I rang him. He was people disappointed. He inactive remains a large portion of this side, it's conscionable unfortunate that helium was the 1 that missed 1 retired this clip around."

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